Croonford Detectives Case 41: Revenge 2.0
Author’s
note: Chelle’s capture restraints and gag are loosely based on Happy Valley
Season 1, Episode 1, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Bloedlink, Kidnapping Stella and the music
video Hidden Away. However, there’s no nudity here.
The
characters of Katy, Amanda and Louisa are those of Waistknot used with his
permission.
On GCSE results
day, all graduating Year 11s were naturally full of anxiety. Paper results were
released by surname alphabetically. Mark got 9 in English and Sports Science
and 9s and 8s in the remaining subjects. He was elated as this meant keeping
the sports scholarship he was granted.
“How on earth
did I get 8 for Physics?!” Lin exclaimed as she stared at that number amongst
the rest of the 9s. “I studied so had!” She ran to apologise to her Physics
teacher who simply said there was nothing to apologise for. Her boyfriend
hugged her but trembled with his exam results approaching.
Chelle
grimaced, seeing she received an 8 in History but relieved all others were at
9. Minutes later, Jenn opened her exam folder and jumped after seeing she got 9
for all subjects. Richard patted her back although he was anxious to discover
whether he would score higher or lower than her. Reinhard pulled out his result
slip and saw he got 8 for English. “Well, we’re even,” he told his girlfriend.
Richard frown, seeing he got an 8 in Maths, making Jen the academically
smartest girl detective. Furthermore, she received both the top English
Literature prize and top Year 11 prize from Principal Homerton.
Chelle chose
English, History and Economics. Lin still chose Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Jenn went for four subjects: English Literature, History, Drama and Theatre
Studies and Politics. Mark naturally went for Sports Science again, English and
Business. Reinhard went for Physics, Computer Science and German. Richard
followed Jenn but did not pick Drama and Theatre. These choices placed Chelle,
Jenn and Richard in 12A although they would attend separate lectures for their
different choices. Reinhard would join Lin in the Science-focused class, 12B
while Mark was allocated to 12C for Sports.
As the two
science teens walked to their class, Reinhard spoke up. “I went to the doctor’s
once we returned from Frankenberg. I’ve Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome.”
Her eyes
widened. “Is that serious?”
“Well, it can
be operated on. But I’m in a queue for that and hoping for it operated on by
next week. I’m excused from all rigorous physical activities for now.”
“I’ll be with
you for this,” she declared.
Across town, a
sinister meeting was on.
“So, are we
clear about the plan?” The deep voice asked.
“Are you sure
she walks that route and there’s barely any vehicles and pedestrians there?”
“She will.
Number Two, scouted out the area for two weeks, Number Three. Have you got all
the tools ready?
He opened the
bag and besides the usual gear was a compact handheld stun gun.
Chelle enjoyed
her Year 12 subject lectures and individual classes. She continued to join the
Media and Literature club and passed over the vice-president role but accept
the senior reporter position. Louisa Grant the president, required Chelle to
head to the west of Croonford to find news of a new
building a publish it in the school’s student newspaper. School finished at
3:30 pm and by 3:35 she was headed westwards in comfortable socks and trainers.
She was listening to a Jamiroquai song on her iPod when a loud voice called.
“Sorry, miss, I’m
new here. Which way to the town centre?”
“It’s that...”
An arm pressed an object was pressed against her neck and after three seconds
Chelle collapsed into the arms of the man asking and the one who stunned her.
They dragged her just across the pedestrian path into the back of a black van
with black canvas covered all over. The captors handcuffed the seventeen-year-old
hands behind her back, the cuff chain held to a metal D-ring just screwed to
one side.
“Get her really secure. Then stun last only around five minutes,”
Number One called from the driver’s seat.
Number Two and
Three quickly secured her ankles with cable ties and despite being unconscious,
they slapped a long piece of black tape over her lips and wrapped her head in a
breathable hood. The drive was not long and soon they parked in a deep underground
place. Chelle was conscious again and moaned through the gag and hood. Two of
them held their grip on her while the leader unlocked a series of bolts and
doors. Chelle was flung on a rough bed with plastic sheets. Number Three pulled
away her shoes and socks, cut away her ankle bonds but locked each ankle to
separate cuffs at the edge of the footboard.
The others
swiftly uncuffed her wrists and her right arm was yanked up, cuffed again to
another ring drilled to the headboard. Her left arm was treated similarly, thus the poor schoolgirl was restrained in a
spreadeagle position. Chelle’s gag cries grew louder so they peeled off one
section and stuffed a cloth in her mouth. As she was held down, Number One
produced heavy-duty shears and started cutting away her school trousers. Chelle
struggled in response but the fetters and the hands of the others. Her trousers
came off easily revealing her sky blue knickers. I’m
going to be sexually assaulted, Chelle thought and tried struggling harder.
That was not the case as the leader instead cut away her blazer again with
ease. Next removed was her blouse, exposing her white bra and after all the
pieces were discarded in a bin bag, they put on balaclava hoods.
Yanking off
Chelle’s hood, large papers were placed close to her. ‘YOU CAN’T ESCAPE NOW,”
the first read in large caps. “TRY TO GET LOOSE, WE’LL KNOW AND MAKE YOUR LIFE
WORSE.WE WON’T RELEASE YOU IF YOU PEE. IF YOU WANT TO DO 2, SIGNAL Number One
showed a V-sign. Chelle cried, but the hood was tied back this time, the room
lights switched off and the door was bolted and locked up.
“That was
amazing!” The captors remarked simultaneously. They shared bottles of beer as
Number One removed her mobile phone’s battery and SIM card
.The latter was crushed and the men changed their changes. “We’re going
to dispose of all this, “ Number One announced. “You
stay here.” He pointed to Number Three.
“Do I check on
her?”
“You got to be
crazy! She’s chained, down to her undies, hooded, locked in a room like a bank
vault. At most, there’s the CCTV screen to look. But don’t keep it on; it’s
running on batteries.”
“Mark, do you
know where your girlfriend is? She was supposed to cook dinner.” Chelle’s
younger sister Kate asked.
The answer was
no.
“Are you
detectives on another case? Or is she on her own?”
Mark was now really worried. Saying goodbye, he placed a group WhatsApp
call to the other teen detectives. Lin, Reinhard and Richard had no idea but
Jenn saw her entering the room where the Media and Literature club was held and
Chelle headed out via the back gate. “We’ve got to talk to Louisa tomorrow.
Chelle can’t just disappear again,” Lin concluded.
Number Three
tore off his fake moustache and occasionally checked his phone with mobile data
as there was no Wi-Fi in the room. He turned back towards the locked door. The
plan wasn’t kidnapping, so he wouldn’t get any ‘bread’ - Cockney slang for
money - not one quid. Yet he agreed to join his mates. Curious, he switched on
the night CCTV screen that had night vision capability and stared. Chelle wasn’t
struggling much or calling out through her stuff gag. He watched intensely then
suddenly a dark stain appeared on the crotch area of her knickers and despite
the lack of sound, he knew she was moaning. The spot grew larger and also wet the plastic-covered bed. Not wanting to watch
the digesting scene, he turned it off.
Minutes later,
the others returned, bringing back a pizza.
“What happened?”
Number One asked, noting the look on his friend’s face.
“She pissed
herself.”
Number One
switched on and slyly smiled. “The plan is proceeding perfectly. Let’s have a
celebratory dinner.” The trio at in silence then as Number Three was down to
his last slice, he suggested they should give Chelle food.
“Not a bloody
chance. You turning into a softie?”
“Keeping her
hungry might...”
Number One
nearly struck his colleague until Number Two said they were to humiliate not to
get her sick. “You buy the food,” he pointed at the third captor. “But nothing
heavy, we don’t want her to mess herself today.”
Number Three
went to a Tesco Express, picking a chicken and mushroom pot noodle. “Your debit
card doesn’t work, do you have notes?” The cashier
asked. He dug out older versions of pound notes but came short by five pence
which the cashier accepted. She glanced at his anxious look and through the
store CCTV, dumped the receipt in the rubbish bin outside. He was made to spoon
feed their captive and after a discussion with the leader, Chelle was allowed
to sip some water from a squeeze bottle. All this was performed with the room
lights off and Number Three using a head torchlight.
Mark couldn’t
sleep well that night even with an early morning lecture. Neither could Chelle
with her arms sore from the strain of the cuffs and her knickers wet. The taste
of the pot noodle along with the cloth still lingered in her mouth and it was
dry. They lowered the temperature of the room, which added more torture. Who
the hell are these captors? What do they want? I will get out of this fast, she
told herself.
“I just sent
her to inspect the new building they just built and opened. The one towards the
west. She left just when school ended, saw her change into her trainers,”
Louisa told the remaining teen detectives sans Reinhard.
“Someone or
some people definitely took her. Her sister said her
parents didn’t receive any ransom demands and are worried sick. They’ve already
called the police,” Mark said.
The police
indeed arrived after school hours led by Bluebell Ransom, now a Detective
Inspector. Louisa and the teen detectives, inspected
the back gate then the Forensic Scene Investigators {FSI) were deployed along
the route to the new building. The FSI leader gave his report. “Ma’am, there’s
nothing of interest to bag. Must have been the weather, pedestrians and
vehicles. We can attempt again tomorrow.” DI Ransom nodded. No case was ever
that straightforward but this one concerned one of the town’s most famous girl
detectives.
That girl
detective was fed a simple breakfast of bread and water in almost darkness and
afterwards the masked captors placed ice cubes wrapped in pieces of cloth on
various areas of her bare skin. These were on her arms, cleavage, upper thighs
near her crotch and even her face. Within minutes, Celle felt chilly and water
seeping down her cleavage and thighs. The trio suddenly increased the room’s
thermostat causing Chelle to struggle and yelp with the sudden change in
temperature. ‘DON’T LIKE?’ Number One heled up a sign with those word printed
in bold. She didn’t react even with the torch nearly blinding her.
Suddenly, she
felt something with four legs crawling up one of her legs. The lizard reached
her wet knickers and stooped, then crawled over the waist band. Chelle tensed
up, hoping the creature won’t cawl into her knickers. After nearly a minute,
the lizard crawled up her lizard stomach, nearly tickling her navel. It reached
the lower part of her cleavage, then Chelle gave a gagged cry as the creature
crawled onto first her right bra cup, rested, then crawled across her cleavage
onto her other bra cup. Chelle now lightly struggling against the fetters and
her fetters and her gag cries were louder. After some laughter by Number One
and Two, the creature was removed but Chelle’s eyes widen as the leader picked
up another reptile: a snake.
As Chelle faced
the snake slithering up her body, Lin found Reinhard sitting on a bench.
“Any update on
your surgery?”
“Yes, it’ll be
tomorrow or at least Monday afternoon. They will perform what’s called a
catheter ablation.” Lin raised her eyes in a questionable look. He brought up a
website and explained. “An electrophysiologist will insert flexible catheters
into my blood vessels, usually either in the femoral
vein then the catheters are advanced towards the heart. The catheters have
electrodes mapping the abnormal pathways causing the abnormal heartbeat. The
electrodes will deliver energy to destroy the abnormal tissue that is causing
the irregular heartbeat. Or they might use electroporation,” he scrolled down
to let her read. “They say the former method is extremely effective,” he
concluded.
“Wow, it sounds
complex. Hope they can operate soon. “ Lin’s phone
buzzed. “I’ve got meet the others.”
“Use my
forensic kit if you have to,” he called.
“Alright,
Chelle is clearly taken for no hostage demands, so far no ransom demand though
the police are tapping the Summers’ home and mobile phones,” Jenn summarised.
“We need to
check that path Chelle walked down, the police forensic team is already there
and we need to look at that new building Louisa sent her to..” Lin added.
“Hopefully, we
can find my girlfriend through this,” Mark softly remarked. They split up with
Lin and Mark heading to investigate that path while Jenn and Richard headed to
that specific building. The former team reached their destination first and
were lucky as the FSI team left and the police cordon was removed. The two teen
detectives searched the area intensively for an hour, finding nothing of
interest.
“They won’t let
us inside the new building,” Jenn called halfway. “It’s occupied by a security
company.”
“They sell security
equipment to businesses that require such items. Vault doors for banks,
padlocks and combination locks and CCTV cameras that can work in low-light
conditions. Nothing illegal about it though the building is all black,” Richard
added, sending over an image.
Mark nudged Lin
and saw the very minute black scrap of paint blowed out by the wind. Lin picked
it up with disposable gloves After taking pictures of it, she called the CID
headquarters and DI Ransom picked it up, annoyed that the FSI team didn’t spot
it.
Number Three
sat again alone in the outer room now disturbed by what his mates did to their
victim. He was fine with the ice cube play but didn’t expect them to let a
lizard and snake crawl across her body. He didn’t know what the end game was as
he was never told, knowing he’ll be stuck and likely arrested. Partly due to
his disagreement, he turned on the CCTV screen. Chelle was frantically waving a
V-sign using fingers from her right hand. Knowing that none of them would like
a messy and smelly room, he grabbed the nearby bucket and roll of toilet paper
and entered the room. The spreadeagled teen continued to signal even as he
flashed his torchlight on the bucket. Number Three quickly unlocked the
handcuffs on her left wrist, her ankle bonds and signalled her to use the
bucket.
Chelle instead
moaned ‘toilet’ but he shook his head. This disagreement continued twice until
he relented, locking her wrists behind her back, marching her out by covering
her with an older X26P taser. Chelle naturally moved slowly and unsteadily
after being locked for hours in metal chains. The
toilet wasn’t that clean and one of her wrists was handcuffed to a metal bar
they installed. Again, he gestured her to do her business and she told him to
turn around.
Just as he was
going to, she kicked a nearby toilet brush holder, striking one of his shoes.
Even with her muscles still numb, she kicked him in the balls, making him cry,
bending and hold his crotch. In the process, the fat captor dropped to his
knees, also dropping the taser. The girl detective grabbed it, tearing off her
gag with the handcuffed hand and shouted.
“Give me the
handcuff keys!”
That pudgy guy
stood up and shook his masked head.
“Give me the
keys or I’ll shoot!”
He stayed
silent and Chelle fired but nothing came out. “Haha!” He shouted for the first
time and lunged at her. It was a short struggle but he managed wrenched back
the conducted energy device but she managed to yank off most of his balaclava.
“You! One of
those students trying to blow up the old chem lab and me! Why you doing this to me?!”
He didn’t
answer immediately then spoke up in his Cockney accent. “Look, it’s the others’
idea of taking revenge on you. I was roped in to this scheme.”
“Cutting off my
clothes, letting met wet myself, giving me ice cube torture and letting
reptiles crawl over my body, that’s not revenge! Release me and I’ll put in a
good word for you.”
“That’s not goin’ to happen.” He did feel a little relieved she would
provide a supporting statement. “Thought you needed to use the loo.” Chelle
lied and he told her to re-gag herself though the adhesive was a little weak
and taped lopsided. With a battery loaded, her wrists were cuffed behind her
back. In the ‘cell’, he allowed her to rub her limbs before he restrained her
to the bed. Just he patted her in a sign of encouragement, the main door
snapped open.
The FSI team
was still analysing the chip of paint Lin found and DI Ransom alerted nearby
police forces on Chelle’s disappearance and possible kidnapping. With their
friend still not found, the others turned to their own activities. Lin was
reading her A-level chemistry book when Reinhard notified her he was analysing
undergoing surgery that Sunday morning. Mark had a rugby team meeting. Jenn and
Richard travelled to Birmingham, to pick up literature texts and visit music
shops.
Just as they
were at the Shakespeare section, Jenn heard someone call her name. Behind them
were Katy Liggott, Amanda and Louisa Butterfield, the
younger detectives she met a Christmas a while back. As the bookstore required
silence, they made their purchases and outside, Jenn introduced her boyfriend
to the girl detectives.
“So, how’re
other Croonford girls?” Katy asked.
Jenn answered that
Lin was worried about her sick boyfriend and Chelle was missing with only a
minute piece of paint as evidence.
“Black paint? I
don’t if it’s a coincidence but I spotted a black van accelerating pass my
urban geography class field visit,” Amanda added as she held down the hem of
her dress. “It was near the Tyseley Energy from Waste
Plant.”
“My friend who
works in a Tesco Express near where Amanda’s class was encountered a fat lad
unable to pay five pence more for the pot noodles he bought, threw the receipt
fast and ran away, Louisa added. “Don’t think it’s related to Michelle’s
disappearance, but that area has isn’t crime-free.”
Jenn and
Richard decided to head there as they has sometime before their train would
arrive.
In the
underground room, Number Three, mentally and psychically attacked by Number One
for letting their captive out of the room. After staying silent for around
thirty minutes, he had to help the others lift a large rectangular crate into
victim’s chamber.
“You stay
outside,” the leader growled to his fat colleague. Number Three did but left
the ajar to listen. He heard the box open. Next, something was pushed
underneath the bed and through open gap, he saw them raise a series of cards as
usual but this time, she screamed loudly through her tape gag after the last
card was raised.
“What was it
the crate? What made her scream?” he asked twice as Number Two secured the
large door.
“What we should
have done properly back then. One move she is blown to bits!”
“That’s murder!
I don’t want to...” Number One slammed him hard against the nearby wall and
physically assaulting him, insulting him with names like ‘fat prick’. Number
Two joined in and quickly their disloyal friend. One he was knocked
unconscious, they locked up in the same room as Chelle and Number One suggested
they prepare to get away.
“Hey, the power
is on in that old residential flat is on. It wasn’t when my class passed by,”
Amanda pointed as they exited the Tesco Express.
“It’s the one
slated for demolition?” Louisa asked. “The city council hasn’t decided, “was
the answer.
“Well, someone
is there. Footprints leading out towards the Tesco and oh, there are the
faintest tyre tracks I’ve ever seen,” Katy nodded towards those tracks and
footprints.” There was a silent discussion, and Jenn and Richard followed,
amazed how inquisitive these girl detectives were. Before all could cross the
road, a black van darted out from that building and drove away.
“That van did
have a chipped area...that does match the piece Lin picked up,” Richard, the
one with photographic memory declared.
Knowing Chelle
could be in there, they rushed forward but all entrances appeared locked. “There’s
one,” Katy pointed at the small door. “I’m small enough to enter.”
“You need this to
communicate with us,” Jenn handed over her wireless radio
earpiece that
Lin made for all the teen detectives. After fifteen minutes, Katy radioed back
excitedly. I’m in a two-room area in the basement. The inner room is sealed
with a thick door like those for bank vaults but I can hear soft sounds inside.”
The police
arrived after much persuasion and the door was cut away. The injured Number
Three was helped but the officer gasped. “Thee’s an IED here! We need Expo!”
Expo meant a
police EOD operator and Helen Barkson, Croonford’s
skilled Expo arrived as other were busy. Approaching in her bomb suit, she
peeled off Chelle’s gag. Even with a dry throat, she told Helen what she knew
about the device. “Alright, hold on.” The device was quite complex but after a
close inspection, she isolated the various power sources, slowly removed the
trigger and placed the explosives in a seal box. The two captors were caught as
Richard recalled part of the van’s licence plate. Lin and Mark rushed over with
the former also bringing news that Reinhard’s surgery was successful. Numers One and Two, real names Lucas Malton and Ron
Sedgefield were given life imprisonment for abduction and attempted murder.
Number Three or
Jon Wakefield got seven years with parole granted due to Chelle’s statement.
The new office building in Croonford supplied the
thick door, locks and CCTV for the three captors and the owner, along with his
brother who made the IED, were also charged.
“Thanks a lot
for helping to find me,” Chelle treated Katy, Amanda and Louisa to a meal. “If
not, I’ll be blown to pieces.”
“You’re
welcome!” Came the simultaneous reply.
Michelle,
Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark, Reinhard and Richard will return in a case title not
yet determined.